CEDAR CITY – In an era where many Utah counties have come to rely on tourism dollars as the economic foundation, having a sophisticated trail system for off-highway vehicles such as ATVs is something the Iron County commissioners don’t want to miss.

“We need to find a way to connect the OHV trail systems here in Iron County from Cedar City to Brian Head to Panguitch so we can maximize the outdoor opportunities here,” said Commissioner Dave Miller.

Park Manager Michael Franklin and OHV Program Manager Chris Haller, both from the Utah Department of Natural Resources, spoke Tuesday with the Iron County Commission on the OHV trail system within the county and the economic benefit of linking them with those in surrounding areas.

“It’s a benefit for all to have these trail systems connected,” Haller said. “In other areas of the state where we have connected the trail systems together, they become destination areas where people want to stay. We have found it’s a huge economic boost to those areas where they have developed their OHV trail systems.”

While Iron County has several OHV trails, many of them break off at certain points where they cross private and public lands.

Iron County Natural Resource Specialist Mike Worthen said the Bureau of Land Management is working on a Resource Management Plan that includes OHV trails, many of which will connect throughout the county and into Kane, Washington and Beaver counties.

Haller and Franklin said they have been invited to participate in drafting the management plan that will eventually lead a Travel Management Plan, in which the BLM will outline the areas OHV riders are allowed.

The other obstacles the county runs into when trying to build an interconnected trail system is private lands and those located in the Dixie National Forest.

The two men discussed how their agency could help with that issue.

“We can help facilitate the integration of the trail systems by not only working with these different entities in building a trail system, but we can also assist with finances and technical support such as building the trails or getting money for the county through grants,” Franklin said.

The key, Haller said, is finding a balance between the various users of the public lands.

“There’s a balance we have to find in building a trail system tastefully and collectively,” Haller said.

The Utah Department of Natural Resources sponsors several trail rides throughout the different seasons in Brian Head. Haller said it would like to see those expanded to include all of the communities in Iron County.

In other business, Miller reported on his recent trip to Alaska for the National Association of Counties Convention, where he said he met with Joan Guilfoyle, the chief director over the Wild Horse and Burro Program for the BLM.

Miller said he and Guilfoyle spoke in length about the issues surrounding the horse program.

“What it comes down to is there’s only one or two ways out of this,” Miller said.

While Miller would not elaborate on what that meant, he continued to maintain the overpopulation of horses has to be reduced to the appropriate management levels. He also stated he believed states are in a better position to do that than the federal government.